MIGRANTS, retirees, disabled people and indigenous workers are untapped resources that must be considered as the labour shortage worsens, according to a new report.
In its discussion paper, Where is Your Next Worker?, professional services firm Deloitte argues there is a growing gap between demand for Australian exports and the supply of immigrants to meet that demand.
"A new reality looms," Deloitte chief executive Giam Swiegers said.
"The problem in Australia over the coming years won't be a lack of jobs, it will be a lack of workers.
"Leading organisations have already realised this and are engaged in ideas and solutions to get ahead of the game.
"They are already developing larger, more effective workforces, tapping into under-utilised workers, getting the most out of the workers who already work for them and using innovative, new ways to leverage hidden sources of labour capacity.
Deloitte Access Economics spokesman Chris Richardson said the world was begging Australia to grow faster.
"Yet at the same time Australia has adopted policies that have seen migration fall, doing so just ahead of the biggest surge in retiree numbers this nation has ever seen," he said.
"That means the next few years will see skill shortages proliferate.
"That will be felt right across the two speed economy.
"Miners and construction companies will miss out on the full benefit of the resources boom and businesses will juggle higher-than-necessary interest rates and inflation and pay higher wages and higher prices than otherwise for a wide range of skills."
Rural areas are the hardest hit when it comes to staff shortages and to address this the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture has launched a new website.
The free site, called Career Harvest, is described as a one-stop shop for careers in cropping, livestock production, fisheries, forestry, horticulture and viticulture.
It can be found at http://www.csu.edu.au/special/acda/careers
